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I think it depends on health more than age. If a man is physically fit there's no reason he would ever need them. If he's overweight, has high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, hormonal or chemical imbalance he could require them. Some medications can cause issues too.

This is one of the reasons I'm working so hard on getting in shape. I don't want to deal with any decrease in sexual function. If it happens it happens, but it won't be because I developed issues that come from being fat or a bad diet.

Comment

I've taken histories of men in the hospital that have been active (although not really often) of men in their 80s. The problem really seems to be that most women up in that age group have shied away from sex for a number of years. I'd say it's more the women than the men that decide to not have sex any further.

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There is no set age, but testosterone production decreases with age. Some guys have more to start with. Considering the Coolidge Effect, a guy who has problems may be still able to perform with a new partner well after being unable to perform with the current one.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience.
...
Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?

From a speech by Patrick Henry on March 23, 1775 at St. John's Church, Richmond, Virginia

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I'll take issue with what Stillness said, in part: I've always been in good health, objectively - I work out, im active, I'm 6'-4 and 220 lbs, not overweight by any stamdard, and yet I needed "ED" meds before age 60. And there are a variety of meds, both oral and otherwide, and I've used them all. And other treatments, and I've tried those too. Suffice it to say, many if not a majority of men will have "issues," but barring a serious problem, those issues are treatable, and the treatments can be very effective.
OK, back to your question: how long can you two have sex? As long as you're both breathing...

Comment

And as for "taking histories of men in hospitals"... that's what you call both "anecdotal" and "self-reported"... i.e., not reliable data. Who's going to say, "yeah, i haven't been able to get it up for years" to a female, nurse or otherwise?
Just sayin'

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Tex, what I meant is that there is no age where every man will get erectile dysfunction. I didn't mean to imply that any man that has it is in bad shape.

Here's what the Mayo Clinic's website says and what my understanding is:

Physical causes of erectile dysfunction

In many cases, erectile dysfunction is caused by something physical. Common causes include:

Heart disease

Clogged blood vessels (atherosclerosis)

High cholesterol

High blood pressure

Diabetes

Obesity

Metabolic syndrome — a condition involving increased blood pressure, high insulin levels, body fat around the waist and high cholesterol

Parkinson's disease

Multiple sclerosis

Certain prescription medications

Tobacco use

Peyronie's disease — development of scar tissue inside the penis

Alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse

Sleep disorders

Treatments for prostate cancer or enlarged prostate

Surgeries or injuries that affect the pelvic area or spinal cord

They also list psychological issues.

I'm not asking if any of these apply to you, but my guess would be that some do. If they don't that would be of extreme interest to me, because my understanding is that barring some sort of injury or birth defect, a healthy man doesn't get erectile dysfunction and that it's preventable or reversible with lifestyle changes. If I'm mistaken, I'd really like to know.

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I'd say it's more the women than the men that decide to not have sex any further.

don't understand that....

but also acknowledge I never gave birth so my guess is that somehow that changes SOME women forever in that their vagina and psyche holds the "memory" of all the pain involved in giving birth

just know that two relatives/one friend have horrible stories about giving birth
the one person admitted to me they rarely have sex anymore (after last birth which led to extended hosp stay)
strangely all 3 gave birth at the same hospital

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Avoid that hospital! :-)
With regard to women, I don't think it's a childbirth thing, though; several of the most sexual women I've known have had 2 or more kids.
What the Mayo clinic and other sites fail to note is that several of the commonly used meds for other purposes, e.g., cholesterol, blood-pressure, even common antihistamines, will cause ED. It's annoying to have to discover this yourself.

​​

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Texasred it has nothing to do with being anecdotal, and yes men will and do say "I haven't been able to get it up in years". There are men and boys of a very young age that "can't get or maintain an erection". It has nothing to do with age. Sexual trauma can and will affect the body as will other mitigating factors. My point was merely to show that men in their 80s can still have an active sex life. There is no "age" at which things stop functioning which was the initial question.

What Stillness was saying was these mitigating factors include physical issues which in men can cause erectile dysfunction.

Amy40, having had children has nothing to do with the women. Our bodies only have so many eggs and when they stop producing them they stop. Our hormones change over the years causing lack of interest, our secretions dry up causing an imbalance in our bodies and yes lubricant is our best friend. But it just seems that the body doesn't respond the same way when your 80 as when your 20, and over the years it would appear that the "need" to have sex diminishes in a way that it may not in men.

That which we forget may as well never really happened.

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What the Mayo clinic and other sites fail to note is that several of the commonly used meds for other purposes, e.g., cholesterol, blood-pressure, even common antihistamines, will cause ED. It's annoying to have to discover this yourself.

Cholesterol is necessary for the production of testosterone. Blood pressure is necessary for a hard erection. Yeah, the doctors don't tell you this as they strip you of your ability to have normal sex. And they tell you that testosterone just above the minimum is still OK. OK for what? Certainly not a normal sex life. Yeah, I found it out on my own, too. I have deliberately skipped those meds before but not my diabetes meds. A lot of deceit in the medical community.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience.
...
Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?

From a speech by Patrick Henry on March 23, 1775 at St. John's Church, Richmond, Virginia

Comment

Amy40, having had children has nothing to do with the women. Our bodies only have so many eggs and when they stop producing them they stop. Our hormones change over the years causing lack of interest, our secretions dry up causing an imbalance in our bodies and yes lubricant is our best friend. But it just seems that the body doesn't respond the same way when your 80 as when your 20, and over the years it would appear that the "need" to have sex diminishes in a way that it may not in men.

Some women still enjoy sex during their senior years and some men don't care about sex any more during their senior years. There is no set formula, but more men seem to be active at any given age during senior years.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience.
...
Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?

From a speech by Patrick Henry on March 23, 1775 at St. John's Church, Richmond, Virginia

Comment

I've had this conversation with my cousin, who's a physician. I was complaining about medicine and her profession and she gave me her perspective: "You warn people that they need to get a grip on their health issues over and over again, but they don't do it. What are you going to do, not give them medicine? Then they die and/or you get sued for not treating them."

It opened my eyes a bit. It's easy to blame medical professionals for health issues, but whose body is it? A good doctor is key, but so is recognizing that they're on your team, not the other way around. We know the medical profession is flawed, but so is everything. Instead of pointing fingers, we need to take control of our own bodies.

HBP, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and a lot of these diseases can be halted, reversed, or diminished with lifestyle changes. It’s a question of values and worldview.

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Cholesterol is necessary for the production of testosterone. Blood pressure is necessary for a hard erection. Yeah, the doctors don't tell you this as they strip you of your ability to have normal sex. And they tell you that testosterone just above the minimum is still OK. OK for what? Certainly not a normal sex life. Yeah, I found it out on my own, too. I have deliberately skipped those meds before but not my diabetes meds. A lot of deceit in the medical community.

SO true! I've finally found a doctor who's of the opinion T levels should be at or above the mean, not merely within the normal range, and from my own experience (this is what "anecdotal" means...), T-level is critical to having a normal libido. And critical to having a normal, healthy outlook on life.